Clarence J. Sundram, JD, Attorney & Trustee, van Ameringen Foundation
Board Member
Clarence Sundram is an expert on conditions in institutions and community programs for persons with mental disabilities.
Most recently, as the Independent Monitor for the federal court he oversaw the successful implementation of a class action settlement that offered approximately 4,000 persons with mental illness residing in adult homes in NYC the opportunity to move to supported housing with services. (His reports to the Court have influenced refinements in the implementation process, including the creation of a “peer bridger” program.) He has also served a member of the Willowbrook Review Panel monitoring the implementation of the Willowbrook Consent Judgment, and as the Special Master & Court Monitor in class action lawsuits in New York, Washington, DC and Maine involving the rights of persons with mental disabilities under the Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws. In March 2011, he was appointed Special Advisor to the Governor for Vulnerable Persons. His April 2012 report, "The Measure Of A Society: Protection of Vulnerable Persons In Residential Facilities Against Abuse & Neglect," recommended sweeping reforms regarding incidents of abuse and neglect of persons in residential care. In response, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed, and the legislature unanimously adopted, The Protection of People with Special Needs Act; key recommendations were implemented in June 2012. Previously, Mr. Sundram served as the Founding Chairman of the NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled; an Assistant Counsel to the Governor; and a law clerk to Judge Lawrence H. Cooke of the NY Court of Appeals. Mr. Sundram has participated in international efforts to reform mental health services in Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, the Russian Federation and Uruguay as a member of the Board of Disability Rights International and as a consultant to UNICEF and WHO.
CANY Board Members
Martha King
William Snipes
Kenneth Henderson
Arti Finn
Michelle Daniel
Max Feldman
Wesley Caines
Jessica Charles, PhD
Stanley Richards
Caitlin Sikes
Nicholas Smirensky
Clarence J. Sundram, JD
